Vast majority of children view online porn

A huge 95 percent of children have accessed porn on the internet, especially during homework time.

That’s according to BitDefender, which has also found that the average age of a child starting to look for adult content sites is just over 11 years old.

It interviewed 1,570 parents from five different countries, and found that while 97 percent of them used parental control software to block access to adult websites, 12 percent of their teenage sons or daughters succeeded in uninstalling or unlocking this software. The fact that children are finding a way around these controls are hardly surprising considering the government doesn’t know what to do about the situation.

In November we reported that Ed Vaizey is as confused about child safety online as the rest of parents and adults and it’s not just on the internet.

He said at the time that while most mobile networks have a default block on content that is for over 18s when surfing from a phone, such as gambling or pornography, technology such as Bluetooth, used for transferring files from phone to phone, is tough to police.

Back to the survey, 62 percent of adults admitted that they themselves had searched for and accessed adult content sites, while 87 percent said they would allow their children to look for sexually explicit materials if the children were 19 years old or older.

“One of the most interesting findings from this study is related to parental control. Even if the parents understood the necessity of such a piece of software and the need to monitor their teenagers’ activity on social networks and on the internet in general, children will always find a way to access adult content,” said Sabina Datcu, BitDefender E-Threats Analysis and Communication Specialist and author of the study.

“BitDefender believes this sends a clear message to parents – it’s more important than ever to take steps to protect children from exposure to sexually explicit materials found on the internet.”